How to plan a walk in the mountains

Where should I go?

How do I know whether I will be able to walk there?

How long will it take me?

Will I have phone signal?

How do I pick a route?

What about the weather?

How do I get there?

Early morning walking in the Glyders in Snowdonia

To the keen mountaineers and mountain professionals amongst you, these can often seem like ridiculous questions.  You just pick up a map and go, of course you will be able to walk there, drive to the car park, the bus runs along that road daily, if the weather is bad I'll do this instead, most people can do that in a day etc...  Just google it.  Read a book.  Ask so and so that lives there or was there last week.

To a certain degree the above is true, it is quite easy, but only once you've done it a few times successfully.  For everybody else, it's a minefield.  During this blog I am going to attempt (as many other people have) to write a list of top tips, considerations and ideas for planning a walk(s) in the mountains and hills.  On the whole, this will apply to the UK, but lots of the planning will apply overseas too.

Following a vague 'path' on a multi-day walk in the Cairngorms National Park

Where to begin...

As one of my colleagues says, go up a hill you've heard of, take the obvious route - the easy one, then look into the distance and plan a route to go up the neighbouring hills that look fun.  It's a good starting point.

And remember, don't overthink it, plan something, go and have a go, just remember that you don't have to follow your plan, you can start it, turn around and go for a cake and a coffee or beer.  Some of my best days have been days when a plan didn't go 'to plan'!  The more you do, the better you will get.

Somewhere in Assynt on a walk planned that morning, which was then readjusted during the day as the weather started to change.  It was impulsive, we had no idea what the terrain would really be like, but it was great fun.

When is your time off?

Generally speaking each month has characteristic weather associated with it.  Spring and Autumn tend to hold more stable weather, and Summer and Winter have more unstable weather.

January: Snow is usually present on the tops in Scotland, the Lakes and often Snowdonia.  A month with a lot of precipitation and wind (the type of wind that might be difficult or impossible to walk in!)

February: The most reliable month for winter conditions in the mountains.  December, January and February are statically the coldest months in the UK.

March: When you start to feel the sun on your face again.  Spring arrives, longer daylight hours, but often still wintery and windy on the tops particularly in Scotland.

April: The month when the weather starts to change.  Less windy, less precipitation, and the midges are normally not quite out yet (but the ticks will be waking up).

May: Alongside April, probably my favourite weather month!  Statistically April, May and June have the least precipitation per month in the year.  Any snow remaining is likely confined to avoidable snow patches and gullies.  The wind eases off, and midges aren't at their peak yet (according to Smidge they begin emerging in late May)  It is also the month with the most amount of sunshine during the year.

June: Sunny, not much rainfall, no winter conditions, school's aren't broken up yet, but the midges and ticks are definitely out now so Smidge up!  And the days are at their longest - good for long walks, bad for practicing night navigation!

July: The stable weather starts to end.  Whilst a hot month, July hosts more rainfall than previous months.  If it's been humid the midges will love you!  School holidays=busier mountains.

August: Still the school holiday season, busy weekends and a bank holiday.  However it remains sunny and not too wet and windy.

September: The last month before the weather begins to edge closer to winter?  Quieter in the mountains, and whilst September is a bit wetter, windier and less sunny than July, these differences are not significant.  Midges are beginning to disappear, daylight hours are still plentiful and snowfall shouldn't arrive yet.

October: Towards the end of this month it isn't unusual to have a first dusting of snow on the tops.  One of the wettest months statistically, it will also be windier and noticeably colder with the first frosts arriving.

November: Generally a month that feels stuck between Summer and Winter conditions.  As wet as it's neighbouring months, windier, shorter daylight hours and often enough snow to get in the way but not enough to be useful!  Verglas (a thin veneer of ice on the ground) may be present, particularly in the mornings after a cold night.

December: Essentially the same as November but colder, unreliable winter conditions on the tops.  Some days are amazing, others abysmal!  Noticeably windier, and longer days often involve walking in the dark.

Double checking maps and watches before we continue our mountain walk

Useful websites for recent conditions and weather forecasts are:

Met office: - Mountain weather specific forecasts for a range of upland areas across the UK

MWIS: - Mountain weather specific forecasts that seem to be a bit more descriptive than the Met Office ones and they produce excellent videos explaining why the weather is happening.

SAIS: - Scottish Avalanche Information Service for avalanche bulletins and useful blogs with photos showing snow amongst other things

UKC: - Current routes that have been done, both climbing and mountaineering, use with caution as just because something has been done and that person thought it was amazing on the day does not indicate it was a good idea!

PYB: - Live weather feed and view of the Snowdon Horseshoe 

Google webcams of the area you are intending to walk in - there are lots for all around the UK

Facebook: - Scrambling & Mountaineering UK, Conditions in UK Mountain Areas, these are popular ones to get started with, but remember you don't know the background and risk awareness of the people you are talking to on these groups

Instagram: - search for the location of the mountain you wish to go to and have a look at the recent photos tagged with that location.  Again, use with caution as you don't know the background and risk awareness of the user or the date the photo was taken.

Now you know when you are planning a walk, and what the characteristic weather is likely to be, a key question is: do I want Summer or Winter type conditions?  I am presuming that as someone learning (or improving or teaching etc...) how to plan a walk that you would start in summer conditions so the majority of the following will be relevant to summer.  And of course the key with avoiding winter conditions is to either walk between the start of May and end of October, to be very flexible in your planning (down to the last minute), or to plan a walk further South where winter conditions occur less often.

Sunrise at a wild camp in the UK.  I had never camped here before, couldn't find out much online, but it looked flat on the map and as though it would have stunning views, perfect for a good weather forecast.  The gamble paid off, but only because some planning went into it.

Where to go and how to get there?

Pick somewhere you have heard of, inspired by, or already own a map and or guidebook for.  This makes the initial planning easier.

Imagine you have narrowed it down to Snowdonia.  If you can drive, great, this will pose almost no problem (other than parking at the start of the walk if you arrive on a busy weekend in summer with a good weather forecast!).  If you need public transport then find out where you can get the train to, what bus services connect with the train and head into the mountains.  Once you know the mountainous valleys the buses go down (regularly - in case you miss one!) you have an area to start and end your walk.

Next: buy the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 map of the area you want to go to - and if you can afford the extra few pounds get a waterproof copy (it lasts longer even if you use a map case and you can draw on it with permanent pen to mark you route, timings and other planning information).  These cover a huge area so you will likely use it again and are invaluable in the planning stage in addition to during your walk.  Their website has a really useful map selector page: 

Taken from the Ordnance Survey shop website

The newer OS (Ordnance Survey) maps also come with a free phone download so you can look at a digital copy of the map on your phone / computer too.  Whilst their app is not as user friendly as Viewranger it is great at planning a route.

Top tip: you can often get a good discount on maps by searching around or using you BMC or MCofS membership etc... in some outdoor shops.

Taken from Cicerone's website

For your first walks in an unfamiliar area I would highly recommend buying a walking guidebook.  Cicerone have a range for the UK, the Cordee website list a huge range of publisher's books, and nothing quite beats Ralph Storer's Munro books if you are heading to Scotland.  Having said that, when in Fort William a browse in the Highland Bookshop will soon have your arms full of new and 2nd hand guidebooks!

If you go down the guidebook route, then, pick a route, read the description and see if it sounds suitable for you.  Then go and do it, reflect on it, and repeat.

But what if you don't want to follow a guidebook route and want to do your own thing?

You have a map of the area you want to visit, now you need to pick a start, middle (the mountain you wish to walk up or near) and end.  Here is a good time to get a permanent marker pen out and draw a circle around the bus stops / carparking points in the area(s) you wish to start and end in.  If car parking isn't clearly marked, look at Google street view to check there are lay-bys and parking areas that aren't passing spaces.  In the case that this is still proving problematic a web search for parking in ... valley will often arrive with some useful answers.

Screenshot of Google street view

Let's imagine you want to go up Yr Aran and Snowdon in a long summer's day.  To make planning easier you start and finish in the same place, that way you don't have to make a transport connection during your day.  Yr Aran hasn't got a footpath up it on the map, but the closest one to the summit it at Bwlch Cwm Llan.

Screenshot of OS maps online

How can you tell from the map that you will be able to get to Yr Aran if there is no path on the map?

It's not guaranteed is my first answer.  However there are some keys to deciding if it is possible or not.

How close are the contours (the brown lines of equal height on the map)?  If they are so close that they begin to merge together and are difficult to see individually then it will be unpleasantly, possibly dangerously steep, even on grassy terrain.  You will probably need your hands to help you up the slope.  If the contours are merging and one or more of them disappear then you will most likely not be able to make progress.

From the OS map key

Is it rocky or not?  The presence of scree or boulders will make it challenging, unpleasant and possibly dangerous.  Cliffs will be the same.  The odd rock here and there will most likely be fine if you can navigate and route find.  If it is not rocky then you don't have to worry about rocks but steep or wet vegetation can be just as hazardous.  If you imagine terrain in terms of slope angles then FATMAP is an amazing tool to see the gradient of a particular place, and I use it loads in winter when slope angle becomes more important.  In the screenshot below You can see the summit of Yr Aran in the bottom third, and the col with all of the dotty tracks passing through it in the middle.  Often, open source mapping contains more paths than OS mapping does.

Screenshot of FATMAP online on their gradient layer

No path on the OS map, but curious to see if there is one in real life?  Have a look at satellite imagery.

Screenshot of OS satellite imagery

Above I have marked the summit of Yr Aran with a red label.  You can see a clear path running eastwards towards the field boundary, where it looks like you can cross though it.  There also appears to be a path that weaves initially eastwards along the ridge and then in a northerly direction picking its way through the rocks and crags.

Screenshot from Viewranger OpenCycle map

Using free opensource mapping on Viewranger this confirms that there is some sort of path leading from the Bwlch to the summit of Yr Aran.

Screenshot of OS satellite mapping

Having browsed the satellite imagery and map we have also noticed that the gradual east ridge of Yr Aran also looks like a possible descent route until the field boundary heads south, whereupon we would need to head in a northeast direction to rejoin the Watkin path in the valley.  (see above satellite image)

Looking at our route up Yr Aran it would make most sense to start and finish in the Gwynant Valley at the Watkin path car park.  There also looks to be a path up and down Snowdon from here, on the map, that links in with our lesser known adventure on Yr Aran.

We decide to park there, walk up Snowdon via the Watkin path, descend down the South ridge to Bwlch Cwm Llan, up Yr Aran, and back down to the carpark.

So what next?
How long will it take me.

Using Naismith's rule (a Victorian mountaineer who came up with this widely utilised timing rule) you can roughly work out how long your walk will take.

You need to know how far it is.  Open your OSmaps site online and plan a route.  This will then tell you how far it is, how much ascent there is, and even how long it will take you.

Screenshot of Creating a new route on OS maps online

If you only have a paper map you can use a piece of string to follow the route on the map and then use this to work out how many kilometres your route is instead.

His rule says that we walk at 5km/hr plus 1 minute for every 10m of height gain.

In reality:

2km/hr if the going is incredibly arduous, the terrain is really loose, you are bushwhacking or need food!!!

3km/hr if you have a big rucksack, the ground is boggy / rocky / hard going, you are pretty tired

4km/hr if the path is in ok nick, you are feeling reasonable but it's not the start of the day, and you are having a bit of a chat with your walking partner(s)

5km/hr if you are on tarmac or a path in great condition, it's the start of the day, or you are breathing heavily, or really really hill fit!

6km/hr is power walking

Any faster and you are probably running!

On moderately steep terrain I add 1/2 minute per 10m of height gain.  In really steep terrain I add 1 minute per 10m.  In descent, if it is really steep or loose, the same might apply.

Top tip: remember what pace you planned your walk at, do your walk, and then see if it matched your estimated time.  If not, then think why not, and readjust for the next time.

After this, you need to add in time to navigate, time to have breaks for food, photos, enjoying the the view etc...

Planning the next day having taken into consideration timings from the first day

Other things to consider...

• You might have the best plan ever up your dream mountain but what about:
• Your walking partner(s) or group?
• What kit/equipment you have?
• The weather/conditions in the mountains
• You / your walking partner(s) aim for your walk in the mountains
• Will your plan work for everyone else you are going with?  Do they walk at a similar speed, have the same aspirations, kit to withstand the weather and conditions of the day?
• What type of terrain does your route cover?  Is it rocky, could it involve scrambling because of this?  Is it boggy?  Does this suit you (and your walking partner(s) skills?)
• Are there any river crossings or other hazards you need to consider?

Plan B

Having a plan B is almost more important than plan A.  During your planning phase ask yourself the following questions:

• If the weather is worse than expected where could / should / would I go instead?
• If it is taking me longer than expected at what time should I turn around, so I don't finish in the dark, storm arriving later, miss the bus etc...?
• Where is the worst place on this walk to have an emergency and what would I do?  With and without walking partners, phone signal, other people on the mountain?
• Where are the key places on the route?  Where do I need to make decisions that will impact my day?  This could be a navigational point, a route choice e.g. do I have time to go from Bwlch Cwm Llan up Yr Aran? if I wish to climb Yr Aran after Snowdon should I do an out and back from the Bwlch if I have less time and the visibility isn't as good, or do I have time and good enough navigation to complete the circular journey?

What will you do if your plan is now impossible due to adverse weather?!

Other thoughts

If you already have a map of a wide area you want to walk in, rather than plan a specific walk on a specific day, consider planning a range of walks and then going to the area that has the best weather forecast.  The Met Office provide summit forecasts for individual peaks.  Within 30 minutes drive from Capel Curig you can encounter sun and cloud or torrential rain on the same day in the mountains due to local differences.  This could make or break your day!

Finally, all of the above I have learnt from other people, books and experience.  Remember to chat through your ideas before, during and after your walk.  It's ok to change plan.  Embrace Technology.  You will probably get better at planning the more you do it.  I'm still learning and improving and I hope this never stops.

A traverse of Lyngen, part 1 of 3, how a scenic ferry convinced us to take plan B (sort of!)

Fantastic views on the Lyngen Peninsular

Always have a plan B, and C, D, E... etc...  At least, that's what I tell my clients (and I endeavour to follow this too).  And, to be fair, in my head a plan B in steep skiing terrain is, don't bother.  I guess that is a plan B, but it's probably not the plan you consider when organising a traverse of a specific mountain range, to which you have booked flights to; and most people would have a more skiing orientated plan B rather than just quit.

Walking to Tromso bus station at the start of our journey

Last April a small team of us flew to Tromso with the aim of traversing the Lyngen Peninsular.  Many hours of googling and pouring over maps revealed what could be an incredible route through the high glaciers and mountains of the area including a traverse of Jiehkkevarri.  It would be an arduous but amazing journey over two weeks, 100% self sufficient, pulling our pulks.  Research told me that a few people had more or less completed a traverse of the area (the only camping one I could find sounded like a complete epic of bad weather), some guides offered a variation on it, the 'Lyngen Haute Route'.  Nowhere could I find any record of anyone attempting a higher traverse over the glaciers.  And it was quite difficult to figure out what route previous and advertised groups used.

As you do, for the months preceding a trip, you read the avalanche bulletins and weather reports.  Dipping in and out more frequently the closer you are to departure.  Initially things looked good.  During March there were still persistent weak layers, well, that's nothing new.  For a while it looked like the snowpack might just stabilise and head into a more Springlike cycle.  Then, it just snowed and snowed, and then stopped.  We touched down and found very difficult conditions.

I hate persistent weak layers, how often do you actually know how close you have been to triggering it?  With more than half of our route in prime 35degree avalanche terrain at this height, the answer was simply to avoid it.

The classic Lyngen photo - fjords and mountains

What was our skiable plan B going to be?  Earlier in the month when I realised that plan A looked doubtful, I put all of my spare hours into finding another route.  It was broadly based on the 'Lyngen Trek', a summer hiking route that follows a series of shelves on the East side and then crosses through to the West side of the peninsular.  But... I couldn't find anyone that had skied it, and there were a couple of shorts sections of which I had no idea if we would be able to get through, most notably the end of the Vestbreen Glacier, west of Lyngsdalen.

The Lyngen Trek route marked in green, from The Lyngen Alps by Fri Flyt AS

A look on FATMAP and the Norwegian mapping website revealed that the vast majority of this route would avoid avalanche terrain, and there would be appropriate safe escape routes to a road if we couldn't continue through a more challenging bit.  Phew, what a relief to finally have a plan, that might work.  

Safer travel in a higher risk environment

Researching public transport options, we were able to get a bus from Tromso to Nordkjosbotn; and, the highlight, a ferry back from Nord Lenangen if we arrived on time.  To be honest, after the disappointing reality of having to change our plans, I think the possibility of taking a ferry tour at the end, sold Plan B to us!

The following day we got on the bus in misty weather and began our traverse in Nordkjosbotn.

On our way to find snow somewhere in the outskirts of Nordkjosbotn

Bikepacking in Scotland - Northern Cairngorm Loop

Sunrise on morning 2 of our trip.

Bikepacking has been on my radar for a couple of years now.  It's something that I've read trip reports about, watched youtube videos, and even gone to a Steve Fassbinder lecture (at Backcountry Scotland in Aviemore).  But... I'm pretty bad on a bike.  As a kid the most extreme it got was riding off the kerb onto the road, down dusty flat Norfolk farm tracks, and dodging cars in London.  Skinny tyres, five gears and panniers were my norm.  27.5 (yes, I now remember what size wheels my bike has!) fat tyres, greasy rocks, drops, bog and a really wide handlebar with lots of bags on it, were alien to me.

Bikepacking means eating lots of food

I am the proud owner of a full suspension mountain bike, now fully paid for after months of payments, and a mere 400km of riding clocked up, mostly on forestry roads.  Earlier this year I hurt my heel, putting pay to my running and personal walking, so our annual holiday to Scotland turned into a mountain biking holiday.  Eek.  Most people went on mountain biking holidays once they could ride their local trails, I thought!  I couldn't even get down the Marin trail, and sometimes at work, I hear of novice groups going their during their first week of riding.

Wild camp on the first night

Naturally, three days into our holiday, Jim, my other half (and total mountain biking machine) suggested we go to do part of the Cairngorm Loop.  This is a 290km long bike packing route in two (or three) loops around the entire national park.  It is a classic, contains single track, hill roads, hike a bike, river crossings and more.  Some people bike it in a day, bikepacking.com recommend four.  Four!, that works out at 72 km a day, plus 1000m of ascent.  I once biked from London to Norfolk... but I took the following day off.  We would do the Northern Loop from Glenmore, and take enough for four days (Jim thought it would take three, I was doubtful).

Pushing up a steep hill track into a 60mph headwind on Day 2

At 134km, 2200m of ascent, including an 8km hike a bike over bog and peat hag that everyone we met described as atrocious, I didn't think we would make it past Braemar.

Beginning in the Glenmore Forest was beautiful, perfect dry trails, Scot's Pines and not too many 
people.  We had a brief pause at Ryvoan bothy before continuing through to Abernethy Forest and the gap of Eag Mhor.  The second forest had trails as narrow as my bike, and I would frequently ride onto the heather from side to side, weaving dramatically, trying to desperately get used to the weight of my handlebars on the narrowest thing I had even ridden on!  

Riding through the forests on Day 1

A piece of heather got caught in Jim's bike and his cassette broke.  We were an hour in, and he could now only use the bottom two gears, and the top four.  The middle ones were bent.  Typical, I thought, we would be finishing our trip before we'd even started, we wouldn't even make it to Braemar.  Maybe there would be a bike shop in Tormintoul.  Carrying on, along the route, we got to the village and stopped for a snack.  Jim suggested we carry on, and see how it went.  Amazing hill roads led us south, along Glen Avon and Builg.  52km later, we set up camp down from the Loch.

Seeking shelter behind the bridge to make breakfast

By the morning of Day 2 the winds had picked up and we were thankful for the shelter of our campsite.  A shortish section of riding up to Loch Builg brought us into the full wrath of the wind.  It was during the single track that followed that we realised that there was absolutely no benefit in attempting to ride the normally ridable against a 60mph headwind for a couple of metres before having to dismount to cross a severe patch of bog or rocks beyond my technical ability.  Later on I was even spat off my bike from a particularly large gust and received an equally impressive bruise on my right buttock!

The cockpit of my bike, Garmin Fenix strapped to the handlebars for easy navigation, and plenty of food in accessible pockets.  The Revelate bag on the front of the harness gave me ample space for map, suncream, midge net and more food.

Brief relief arrived at a bridge, behind which we sought cover from the wind and finally made breakfast (we had delayed our first meal due to the winds at camp and wanting to make headway, as despite our sheltered campsite location, the longer we stayed the windier it became in the morning, and the campsite was only sheltered relative to the wind - It was probably still 40-50mph here!).  Our renewed energy drove us to pedal not only up and along the double track, but down it too!  We only needed to complete our biggest climb of the trip to our highest point, just below 700m, in the worst weather we would encounter!  Thankfully the climb was steep, and thereby even on a calm day we would be pushing!  A group of mountain bikers passed us on their way to Tormintoul and told us how awful the bog to Feshie was - great, another thing to look forwards to!

Jim fixing his seat post which kept dropping further as he rode - not ideal!

Towards the top of the climb the angle eased and we were finally able to ride our bikes again, albeit mine in a very wobbly line matching the gusts.  Lower down we could start to appreciate our surroundings, the winds dropped and the riding was amazing.  Upon reaching tarmac the only thing driving me forwards was the thought of different food at Braemar.  Road riding seemed strangely alien.  Cars, other people, road works and noise all came as a bit of a shock.  Finally we arrived in town and immediately went to the cafe in Braemar Mountain Sports.  Jim treated us to hot lunch and coffee, meanwhile I sat there recovering from the wind, smelling bad and watching everyone as they stopped to look at our bikes with a range of facial expressions; whilst expecting Jim to say ‘shall we look at the bus timetables’.  I also knew that public transport between Braemar and Aviemore was pretty much non existent, and therefore tried not to think about it!

Hot lunch in Braemar

To my amazement, rather than the bus, Jim was then saying, ‘where are we going to camp?’  We bought some more supplies and headed off towards Linn of Dee.  Our aim was to get to the end of the road and then camp at the first sheltered spot, which we hoped was at the edge of the first forest a few kms beyond the car park.  Despite the wind, the ride passed quickly and the spot we’d chosen from the map provided ample space and shelter for the night, with a water source.  After last year’s windy camp in the Cairngorms we both still had some doubt about how long the tent would survive, and whether we were just in a lull, we needn’t have worried, for never once did either of us grab the tent pole in an effort to add rigidity in a sudden gust.

Day 3 brought a beautiful sunrise as the morning light glowed around us.  The winds had dropped and we were on the home stretch.  Packing my bags was easier today, although sharing one headnet between us was nearly entertaining when the wind dropped!  I felt as thought we were starting to get to grips with bikepacking.

Singletrack riding on day 3

Today’s route was split into three distinct sections.  Pleasant double track, 8km of ‘atrocious bog single track’ and good tracks through Glen Feshie.  Navigation was simple and before long we arrived at the single track.  I had visions of being knee deep in bog and peat, barely able to push my bike and taking an hour per km to cover this section, such were the descriptions others had given us.  It was positivity benign in comparison, taking three hours including breaks for water, photos and food.  Perhaps years of running across the hills of Wales had built my bog resilience, or maybe it was just better than I thought it would be!  My only disappointment was that the minute the trail appeared rideable, you would begin, only to turn a corner, or go over a small bump, look ahead, and see a massive puddle or drainage channel built into the path and have to dismount and push.  On the bike, off the bike, on, off, on, off and so forth.  I was stubborn to arrive at the realisation that it was pointless and I should just continue to walk until the 8km ended.

Happy to be back on a track after the bog!

Glen Feshie is as beautiful as it’s hyped up to be.  Full of trees, old and new, winding tracks and water courses.  You wouldn’t be surprised to see bears, lynxes and wolves roaming.  The big river crossings took me by surprise though.  Some of them were over 10m across and knee deep.  A combination of small amounts of rainfall forecast and a presumption that we wouldn’t make it this far meant that I had failed to study the map closely and anticipate how many we would have to do.  Jim later told me the loop was notorious for river crossings!  Three crossings later we were on the home straight and started to discuss whether we would make it back to the van today instead of tomorrow.  Joining the tracks around Rotheimurchus felt awesome as we had always discussed going mountain biking here on previous holidays.  A mixture of tracks, just at the limit of my technical riding took us towards Glenmore.  On the way I managed to fall off a large footbridge into a stream without obtaining a single injury! we cooked a second lunch, and the jelly baby emergency stash was broken into.  

River crossing in Glen Feshie - they were quite big

Exhausted, but happy we arrived at the van ready for a big home cooked dinner.  For the first time in over 7 holidays to Scotland together we had camped longer than one night in a row, and therefore completed a multiday planned adventure, still very much on speaking terms and eager to plan another human powered trip.

Still smiling despite the hardship!

Rannoch Moor to Corrour, a winter walk in Scotland

Sunrise in the Highlands

Breakfast at sunrise

A classic walk across some of the most easily accessible but wild terrain in the SW Highlands of Scotland.  Accessible as there is a train station in the middle of nowhere, however the wilderness is not to be underestimated.

Snowy trees and cold weather giving it an Alpine feel

Arriving at Rannoch Station in the dark at around 9pm I proceeded to head down the road and estate tracks towards the spot I had chosen to bivi for the night, Sròn Leachd a' Chaorainn.  The forecast for the evening was clear skies and no wind, perfect for an opportunity to spend a night under the stars.  As I left the Corrour Estate tracks I trail broke through powdery snow up the hill.  In the distance was what looked like a rather strange silvery white cloud, I later discovered I had seen the Aurora Borealis for the first time.  After a couple of hours plodding uphill I found a pleasant flat spot to sleep for the evening and tucked myself in, in relative luxury as I had brought my foam mat and thermarest for the evening!

Half asleep but happy as I woke up in my bivi spot!

Looking across to Blackwater Reservoir and the Munros beyond

By 7am it was beginning to get light and I could see the mountains all around me, the sunrise at around 8:30 was spectacular, gorgeous alpenglow, the odd cloud in the sky adding to the atmosphere, and I couldn't wait to get going.  Two sachets of porridge and a coffee later, I was on my way.

The summit of Càrn Dearg

If you like false summits, the ridge North to Càrn Dearg (Red Cairn according to Google translate, and with an 'a' instead of 'à' it's red car!), is the walk for you.  An eternity of undulations, breaking trail the entire way ensued.  Finally I reached the Munro and then had the pleasure of seeing some tracks from yesterday leading to Sgòr Gaibhre.  A pleasant stroll over compressed snow and grass brought me to the second Munro and the clouds drew in too.  A feeble attempt at snowing was made, with a light breeze and some fog.  However it was still clear with the sun powering through the clouds at times to leave an eerie wintery look.

Incredible sunny views to the South, you could see across the Southern Highlands perfectly

Attempting to snow, there were dark grey clouds to the west of me, but it remained quite pleasant all day

Continuing to Sgòr Choinnich, I met some other folk and I couldn't quite believe it!  They were doing pretty much the same journey as me but in the opposite direction.  Navigating over the knoll of Meall Nathach Mòr and NW took me over heathery ground towards the Lodge.  A vague quad bike track appeared at times between the snow and vegetation, and a rather exciting river crossing lower down at the new Hydro site took me to the woods.

Below the clouds looking across to Corrour Lodge and Loch Ossian

Crossing at the hydro scheme, you can just make out the wire to hold onto above the concrete!

Another 6km along the edge of Loch Ossian took me to Corrour Station.  It's amazing that this has been operating since 1894.  The Corrour Estate website is worth a read if you're interested in what the current owners are doing environmentally and it certainly seems like they are taking a more forward thinking approach to managing their land.

Corrour Station, in the middle of nowhere! At least there is a shelter to wait in

The station sign at Corrour, just in case you weren't sure you had arrived in the middle of nowhere!

All I can say, is, I will be returning with my skis when there is a base of snow, and to explore Rannoch Moor and the surrounding hills some more.

A frozen Loch Ossian